Bumper Laws/Best practice

[mishle]

First I'm in Colorado currently but I'm trying to make it safe in all 48 states.

Hello, I am planing our home and already have the trailer I'm building it on.

I found specs for hight length chains tires etc but nothing on the placement of bumpers. Come to think of it my last trailer had no "bumper" just the end of the flat bed.

So the question is can I build out over the top of the bumper or should I extend the bumper out past the rear wall? If so how much should it be extended? I found simi trailer codes that it has to be able to bash in 4 inches if hit from behind but I don't think that applies here.

Thanks in advance,

Mishle

[canned o minimum]

Come to think of it....Don't think I've seen a bumper on a Teardrop before...but a bumper sure seems PRUDENT !
.

[Yota Bill]

I could be wrong, but I don't think there is any requirement for them. I have seen very few, if any, commercially built or fabricated trailers with bumpers on them, and have honestly never heard of a concern for them before.
If you want the bumper, then build it as you see fit. The 4 inch crush zone sounds acceptable to me, though it does really depend on the design.
If you have the bumper, I would definitely make it the rearmost point, at least by a small amount.

[canned o minimum]

As fer bumpers on a trailer.. they are usually hollow and hold the hose fer the holding tank...That's all I've seen...

[CarlLaFong]

A bumper is going to make the galley uncomfortable to use for most people. You'll be forced to stand back and lean farther in to use the counter or sink. if you have one. I think vertical nerf bars would offer a bit of protection and still allow access to the galley. Model A Ford rear bumpers would look nice on a traditional build

[Moho]

It's only a law to have a bumper on a passenger MOTOR vehicle. All trailers (except semi trailers) are excluded from any bumper laws according to the NHTSA.

Technically the trailer itself is a huge bumper for your Tow Vehicle as it will absorb more impact than your two vehicle bumper will

[ParTaxer]

Since I have a hitch on the back of my TD for an occassional bike rack, I use a large step bumper inserted in the hitch for a bumper protection. It only takes a little tap to rack the galley door. I feel better knowing there's some protection in the back area of the TD. It has never been in the way as it sticks out maybe 4 or 5 inches and is rounded. We have more of a problem hitting our heads on the galley latch locks.

[Nobody]

When I added the little bumper to my TD it was primarily for decorative purposes; didn't expect it to be much protection in event of collision . I fabricated it from a couple of pieces of 7/8" square steel tubing & covered them with a 'diamond plate' tailgate protector from an old Chevy p/u. Fastened it to the chassis with a couple of heavy steel straps.

Since the side profile of my TD curves inward at bottom front & rear the bumper protrudes only minimally into our 'standing' space & does not interfere at all with use of the galley.

When I was 'rear-ended' Labor Day weekend of 2010 the bumper proved to provide more protection that I'd expected. While it didn't negate the impact to the chassis to any great degree, it did apparently provide enough protection/deflection that the rear of the TD body itself sustained only minimal damage which I was able to repair without much difficulty (straightening the chassis & undercarriage was another story but it too was doable ). The bumper itself sustained very little damage other than scratches & the mounting brackets. After the chassis damage was repaired & the aluminum at rear of cabin repaired or replaced, it was a simple matter to fabricate new bumper mounting brackets & now the bumper appears essentially the same as before the accident.

Bottom line - I credit the bumper with deflecting the impact downward & helping avoid major unrepairable damage to the TD cabin/galley. It apparently did open a couple of 'seams' around the wheel wells that this year allowed water to enter while driving thru severe T'storms. I'll detail that repair in another thread...

Newly installed bumper in 2007


Immediately following the accident in 2010



Underlying damage to chassis & TD frame



Still a few dings'n dents visible but a little straightening & a piece of 'diamond plate' plus new bumper brackets & voila...

[canned o minimum]

THAT is why I like the idea of a BUMPER...just a slight crash from the rear at 10mph would seriously damage ANY td....jus MY thoughts...

[Cliffmeister2000]

I toyed with the idea of a bumper on mine, even designed one that telescoped out while traveling, in while using the galley. Another design I toyed with was having the bumper hinged, and letting it drop down while using the galley. The telescoping idea works better, because no harm if you forget to telescope it back out.

[canned o minimum]

Knowing YOU.. it would a been made from a pair of crutches. Then it coulda served TWO perposes.. possibly. Both of em safety related ...

Cliff is MY kinda "reuse" guy !

[canned o minimum]

Knowing YOU.. it would a been made from a pair of crutches. Then it coulda served TWO perposes.. possibly. Both of em safety related ...

Cliff is MY kinda "reuse" guy !

[bobhenry]

IS tHaT a ReCyCle jOKe ???











And I still got one in the shed for a bumper !!

[CarlLaFong]

One idea that I've toyed with is a swing away spare tire mount like Jeeps and off road types use. Securely hinged to one frame rail and hitch pinned to the other, it would offer protection but swing out of the way when using the galley. I saw a picture of a TD with one where the wheel also pivoted to a horizontal position. A tabletop was set atop the tire as a work area and for dining. Clever

[eamarquardt]

Here are some pics of my bumper that telescopes and drops down. It will fit close to the trailer, you can pull it out about 30 inches to allow one to carry a small motorcycle or bicycles or whatever, and it has the taillights inset into it so that they will not be blocked by the load.

Here's the bumper in the up position.



Here's the bumper in the down position so you can use the galley w/o banging your shins.



Here are the tail lights that are built into the bumper.



Cheers,

Gus